Chapter 13 - An Uninvited Guest in the VIP Penthouse Suite
The headquarters of Phoenix Earth Minerals in the heart of Victoria Island was a thirty-story monument of curved blue reflective glass and architectural perfection.
On a rainy Thursday afternoon, Ekenna sat behind his massive mahogany desk on the penthouse executive floor, reviewing quarterly export reports for high-purity lithium cathode materials shipped to European automakers.
The intercom on his desk buzzed.
"Mr. Chairman," his executive assistant, a polished woman named Sarah, spoke through the line. "There is a woman at the VIP reception desk who refuses to leave. She does not have an appointment, but she claims to have an intimate, urgent personal history with you. Her name is Chidimma."
Ekenna paused for a fraction of a second, his pen hovering over the signature line of a multi-million-dollar shipping manifest.
A faint, calm smile touched his lips. "Let her in, Sarah."
Two minutes later, the double oak doors opened.
Chidimma walked into the vast, luxurious office.
She was a shadow of her former glamorous self. Her designer dress was noticeably dated, her makeup was applied hastily to conceal the dark bags under her swollen eyes, and her hands were trembling as she clutched a cheap imitation leather purse.
She looked around the breathtaking office—the panoramic floor-to-ceiling glass walls offering an unobstructed view of the Atlantic Ocean, the original African oil paintings, the polished granite floors that gleamed like mirrors.
Then, she looked at Ekenna.
He sat back in his ergonomic leather chair, impeccably dressed in a charcoal-gray tailored suit, an exquisite platinum Patek Philippe watch gleaming under the warm ambient lights.
He didn't look angry. He didn't look bitter. He looked at her with the supreme, tranquil indifference of a man looking at a leaf blowing across the street.
"Hello, Chidimma," Ekenna said calmly. "Have a seat."
Chidimma took three hesitant steps forward, her lower lip quivering. Suddenly, she broke down into theatrical, choking sobs, rushing toward his desk and dropping to her knees on the marble floor.
"Ekenna! Please!" she cried, reaching out to touch the edge of his desk. "I made a terrible mistake! I was young, I was foolish, and I was pressured by my family! I never stopped loving you!"
Ekenna did not pull away, nor did he lean forward. He simply watched her.
"You said five years was too long to wait for a man to become something," Ekenna reminded her, his voice smooth and devoid of malice. "You said poverty was written all over my face."
"I was blind, Ekenna! Daniel lied to me! He manipulated me!" she pleaded desperately, tears ruining her mascara. "He is ruined, he is going to prison, and he treats me like garbage! But you and I... we built something from the beginning. We spent five years together in that small room. You promised me we would build a life together!"
"I did promise you that," Ekenna nodded gently. "And I would have given you the world on a silver platter. But you didn't want to build. You only wanted to arrive at the finished mansion."
He stood up slowly, walking to the panoramic glass window, looking out over the city below.
"You didn't break my heart because I was poor, Chidimma. You broke my heart because you had no faith, no loyalty, and no vision. You loved the car, you loved the suit, and you loved the illusion of comfort. You never loved the man."
"Ekenna, please... give me one more chance! Even just as your personal assistant! Just let me be near you!" she begged, crawling on the floor.
Ekenna pressed a button on his desk.
The heavy doors opened. Two professional corporate security officers stepped inside.
"Sarah," Ekenna said without turning around. "Please escort this lady to the ground floor. Give her fifty thousand naira from petty cash for her transportation home."
"Yes, Mr. Chairman."
"No! Ekenna! Look at me! You can't do this to me!" Chidimma screamed as the security officers firmly but politely lifted her to her feet, guiding her out of the executive suite.
May you like
The heavy oak doors clicked shut.
The office returned to perfect, serene silence. Ekenna picked up his gold fountain pen and went back to work.
